Do It Like A Chef 4 at Brasserie Cicou

It's back. Brasserie Cicou's Do It Like A Chef returns with its fourth edition...

Impress both family and friends with an elegant pasta dish, the Mushroom Truffle Cream Pasta topped with Roasted Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Herb Farce in a fun and interactive session at Brasserie Cicou's Do It Like a Chef series. With Brasserie Cicou's Do It Like A Chef, you get to prepare your own dish inside the actual kitchen of Brasserie Cicou for a unique experience.

After a memorable first time where I prepared a pretty impressive three-course feast (more on that experience on my previous post here), I'm back for the fourth edition of the successful Do It Like A Chef series, inside the working kitchen with the talented chefs of Brasserie Cicou.

Brasserie Cicou's young Executive Chef Jill Osias (L) and her team brief the participants before preparing the dish (R), as the ingredients for the Mushroom Truffle Cream Pasta with Roasted Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Herb Farce is laid out on the counter.   

The day's Do It Like A Chef session started with the preparation of the mushroom truffle cream sauce for the pasta, followed by the roasted chicken breast with the spinach and herb stuffing (L). As we prepared our dishes, Brasserie Cicou's kitchen fired up for the regular lunch service (R)...

Once the Mushroom Truffle Cream sauce is prepared and set aside (for more on the dish, see recipe below), the stuffed chicken breast is then seared on a hot skillet. 

Seared skin down until golden and crispy, then seared on the other side, a knob of butter is then added to baste the stuffed chicken breast for even more flavor. At each step of the preparation of the dish, Executive Chef Jill Osias and her team are right behind you making sure each component of the dish are done right. From the hot skillet, the stuffed chicken breast is then finished in the oven.

Once the chicken breast fillet is done, it's time to prep the different components of the dish. After plating the pasta, top the dish with slices of the crisp, tender, and juicy chicken breast and it's ready.

The pasta is rich and creamy, with the mushrooms and truffle sauce adding an indulgent and distinct note, as the tender, juicy chicken with spinach and herbs complete the dish.  The mushrooms and cream sauce are comfortingly familiar, but it's the addition of the truffle oil and the roasted chicken breast stuffed with spinach and herbs that make this dish special, elevating it from the usual chicken and cream pasta dish. And you get the chance to do it in Brasserie Cicou's kitchen...

After plating the pasta dish, we get a special treat as chef and owner Cyrille Soenen visits the kitchen. Chef Cyrille Soenen then gathers his culinary team in preparation for a special dinner with pigeon as the main dish, giving instructions for the dish. 

Just watching one of the metro's celebrated chefs in action is an experience in itself, and seeing a true master at work was one of the highlights of the day's session. 

The session ends on a sweet note with a selection of Brasserie Cicou's elegant pastries, which included a Macaroon, Canelle, Madeileine, and a Kouignette, a bite-sized version of Brasserie Cicou's signature Kouign Amman, served on a stone slate.

And it's another perfect ending to another satisfying dining experience at Brasserie Cicou. I've always been amazed with Brasserie Cicou's kitchen, seen through a panoramic glass window from the main dining area. With Brasserie Cicou's Do It Like A Chef, you get the rare privilege of going behind the glass window and work inside the kitchen along with the young and talented team behind every signature dish at Brasserie Cicou. Just give Brasserie Cicou a call for the next Do It Like A Chef session (contact details below). And if you want to recreate the special pasta dish featured in this post, here's the recipe...

Mushroom Truffle Cream Pasta
Ingredients:

90g Dried Pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, tagliatelle)
50g Fresh Mushrooms (buttom shiitake, portobello)
1 Clove Garlic,peeled and chopped
1 Small White Onion, peeled and chopped
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Unsalted Butter
50 ml Cream
Truffle Oil

Procedure:

1.  Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the cream and let the mixture simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2.  Boil the pasta in salted water. Follow the minutes written on the packaging minus 1 minute. After draining the pasta, immediately toss the with the cream sauce. Right before serving add in a drop or two of truffle oil. You can also add grated parmesan cheese as an option.

Roasted Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Herb Farce
Ingredients:

1 Piece Chicken Breast Fillet, skin on
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Butter

Spinach and Herb Farce
Ingredients:

20g Fresh Spinach
1/2 Small White Onion
Butter
Basil
Thyme
Parsley
20g Cream Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Procedure:

1.  Saute onions and spinach in a small saute pan. Leave to cool and set aside.
2.  Once spinach is cooled, roughly chop the texture.
3.  Combine all ingredients and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper.
4.  Place mixture in a piping bag or ziplock bag. Set aside.
5.  Slice the chicken breast fillet horizontally on one side to make a small pocket.
6.  Fill this pocket with the farce using the piping bag.
7.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
8.  In a hot skillet with olive oil, sear the chicken skin side down. Once the skin is golden brown and crispy, turn and sear on the other side.
9.  Put a knob of butter then baste the chicken. Put it inside the oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Take it out from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Brasserie Cicou is located at 57 Annapolis Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila or call 0917-885-8841 for more on Brasserie Cicou's Do It Like A Chef series.

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